John Hammond | |
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Jurassic Park character | |
![]() Richard Attenborough as John Hammond | |
First appearance | Jurassic Park (book; 1990) |
Last appearance | The Lost World: Jurassic Park (film; 1997) |
Created by | Michael Crichton |
Adapted by | Steven Spielberg David Koepp |
Portrayed by | Richard Attenborough |
Voiced by | Bud Tingwell ( Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis ) Mackenzie Gray ( Jurassic World Evolution ) |
In-universe information | |
Occupation | Former CEO of InGen Creator of Jurassic Park |
Children | Tim Murphy (grandson) Lex Murphy (granddaughter) |
Dr. John Hammond [lower-alpha 1] is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park , which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation of the same name, casting Richard Attenborough as Hammond.
Hammond is the founder of InGen and the owner of Jurassic Park, a theme park of cloned dinosaurs created by his company. The novel presents him with antagonistic characteristics, which were scaled back by Spielberg for the film adaptation. Although Hammond is killed by dinosaurs in the first novel, the character survives in the film version and briefly returns in the 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park , with Attenborough reprising the role. In the film series, Hammond dies off-screen shortly after the events of the sequel.
Hammond is one of the primary antagonists in the novel Jurassic Park (1990). He is portrayed as a cold, sociopathic, and eccentric CEO whose desire to re-create dinosaurs stems solely from a desire to make a profit for InGen and shore up his legacy. To demonstrate the capabilities of genetic engineering, Hammond showcases a miniature elephant to potential investors, ultimately raising nearly $1 billion for the Jurassic Park project on Isla Nublar. Although some bioengineering companies strive to cure disease and illness, Hammond views such endeavors as financially risky and bogged down by government regulations, telling his chief geneticist Dr. Henry Wu: "That's a terrible idea. A very poor use of new technology... helping mankind [is] a very risky business. Personally, I would never help mankind". [2] [3]
Hammond takes little responsibility for the park or its failures and instead blames others for anything that goes wrong. He concludes that the people he selected as the park's senior staff have character flaws that prevent his vision from being realized. Through much of the novel, he remains in the relative safety of the Visitor Center and his private bungalow, continuing to believe that he is in control, even as the surrounding situation grows exceedingly dire. When his grandchildren become lost in the park, he maintains his belief that order will soon be restored and that the children are in no real danger. Near the end of the novel, it is revealed that he has no real love for his grandchildren nor does he care about the fate of his workers. When the staff regains control of the park, he rationalizes the disaster in the unemphatic, detached manner of a corporate systems analyst, deciding that everything that has happened was merely a fluke and even convincing himself that he should rebuild the park. However, while taking a walk outside, he is startled by a Tyrannosaurus roar, falls down a hill, and breaks his ankle. He is unable to climb up the hill and is subsequently killed by a pack of Procompsognathus .
In the sequel novel The Lost World (1995), Ian Malcolm briefly reveals the true secrets behind the InGen Incident, reviewing Hammond's investment strategies and rise to monetary power. He describes why the park failed and why Isla Sorna existed. According to Ed James, who is investigating the original park incident, Hammond merely died on Isla Nublar while on a business trip.
In the film adaptation of Jurassic Park (1993), Hammond's personality is a near opposite to the novel's version, sharing only his eccentricity. Hammond is depicted as a kind, jovial and charismatic Scottish capitalist who takes responsibility for his actions, a sympathetic and loving grandfather and leader who means well and tries to keep everyone safe. Despite valuing money, he appears less interested in profit than his novel counterpart and explicitly states that he does not want to create a park that caters to the extremely rich, instead concerned with sparking interest in others. The film's Donald Gennaro possesses the majority of the negative and greedy aspects of the novel's Hammond.
Hammond has a deeper emotional understanding of creating attractions for children and families, and wants to make Jurassic Park a scientific reality. He notes that his first attraction was a motorized flea circus, but for the park he wants to show visitors something real rather than an illusion. Hammond has a popular quote that is used throughout the film, stating repeatedly that he "spared no expense" with Jurassic Park. [4] He is misguided in his steadfast belief that his creations are under control, as he underestimates the power of genetics and nature. He also has little regard for pure scientific research, being more interested in the applications of genetic engineering. When the security system breaks down, he and his staff work to restore power and rescue the experts and his grandchildren while they remain in a secure control room. Eventually, he and the other survivors ruefully leave the island, with a depressed Hammond agreeing that the park has failed.
In the second film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Hammond is older and appears to be in failing health. After an accident on InGen's other island, Isla Sorna, the board of directors relieves Hammond as CEO and gives the position to his nephew Peter Ludlow. The film states that Hammond had initially begun construction of Jurassic Park: San Diego, before abandoning the project in favor of the Isla Nublar location. Ludlow intends to finish the San Diego location and populate it with dinosaurs that he plans to take off of Isla Sorna. Hammond devotes what resources he has left to keeping the island's dinosaurs isolated from the rest of the world, something he has been doing in the four years since the Isla Nublar incident. He sends a small team to Isla Sorna to document the animals, so that he can garner enough public opinion to preserve them and the island. Hammond is ultimately successful, with Isla Sorna being declared a nature preserve.
In Jurassic Park III (2001), Hammond is only mentioned during Grant's lecture on Velociraptors : "What John Hammond and InGen did at Jurassic Park is create genetically-engineered theme park monsters".
According to a promotional website for the film Jurassic World (2015), Hammond died in 1997, following the events of the second film. InGen was purchased a year later by his friend Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Global Corporation. The company proceeded with Hammond's original idea, eventually opening a new dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, on Isla Nublar in 2005. [5]
In the film, Masrani tells park manager Claire Dearing that Hammond entrusted him with his dying wish. Later, when Claire tells Masrani that the park has the best structural engineers, Masrani sarcastically states "so did Hammond." When Masrani berates Henry Wu for the creation of the Indominus rex and tells him to shut down all activity, he mentions that Hammond will not be there to protect him this time.
In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Hammond is revealed to have been partners with Benjamin Lockwood in the de-extinction of the dinosaurs, until they had a falling out related to Lockwood's support for human cloning. Lockwood's employee and eventual murderer, Eli Mills, reveals that the two partners were driven apart when Lockwood cloned his deceased daughter Charlotte, the clone now being raised as his granddaughter under the name Maisie Lockwood. The film's co-writer, Colin Trevorrow, clarified that Hammond and Lockwood parted ways because of the latter's intentions to clone his daughter, acknowledging that he did so years after Hammond died. [6] In Jurassic World Dominion (2022), it is revealed that Charlotte actually cloned herself, with Benjamin covering for her with a made-up story.
In Jurassic World, a statue of Hammond is featured in the park's visitor center. [7] [8] A painting of him also appears in Fallen Kingdom. [9]
Hammond's antagonistic traits in the novel were removed in the film adaptation. Although he is not modeled after anyone in particular, Crichton explained that Hammond is like the "dark side of Walt Disney". [10] Director Steven Spielberg said about the novel: "I felt Hammond was a brilliantly written, but patented villain, and I was much more interested in portraying Hammond as a cross between Walt Disney and Ross Perot". [11] [12]
Spielberg had previously wanted to cast Richard Attenborough in two prior film projects, although these did not pan out. Attenborough was initially hesitant when asked to play Hammond, as he had not acted in 14 years and found film directing much easier. He eventually accepted the part after Spielberg pleaded for him to do so, stating "I can't see anyone else playing it but you". Attenborough immediately regretted accepting the role, citing the large amount of dialogue to remember. Upon arriving in Hawaii for filming, Attenborough was disappointed to find that production was ahead of schedule, giving him little time to prepare. He later wished that some of his scenes could have been redone, but also happily acknowledged that it would likely become his best-known role: "Probably in that one movie, more people have seen what I've done than in all the other films put together." [13] Hammond uses a cane made of pieces designed to resemble dinosaur bones. It is topped off with a chunk of amber, which includes a mosquito trapped within it, referencing the franchise's general premise. The film prop sold in 2018, for $32,000. [14]
Early drafts of the first film had Hammond being killed off by dinosaurs, including Procompsognathus in one version, similar to his death in the novel. [15] Early storyboards for another draft depicted Hammond, alone in the park's control room, being killed by a Velociraptor. [16] A later draft featured him staying behind on the island with his dinosaurs. [15] Hammond's death in the novel by Procompsognathus was later adapted for the character Dieter Stark in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. [17]
In 2000, before the release of Jurassic Park III , it was reported that Attenborough would reprise his role for a cameo appearance, [18] but this did not occur, and Hammond is only mentioned in the film. Attenborough was not upset by his character's absence in the third film, while saying: "Did I die in the last one? I don't know, I looked pretty decrepit. I've never seen it. I don't like going to see my own movies". [19]
Attenborough was to reprise his role for the fourth film, [20] [21] [22] [23] but he suffered a fall at his home in 2008 and subsequently retired from acting. [24] He died in 2014. [25]
Roger Ebert, reviewing the first film, found Hammond to have limited characterization, writing "there was an opportunity here to make his character grand and original, colorful and oversize, and instead he comes across as unfocused and benign." [26]
In 2015, Neil Mitchell of the British Film Institute listed Hammond among Attenborough's most essential performances: "Charming, sophisticated and single-minded, Hammond was also deeply flawed, a personality trait Attenborough always excelled at portraying. The veteran actor brought a lifetime's experience to a character as myopic as he was visionary." [27] In 2017, Tom Chapman from ScreenRant ranked Hammond as the fifth best character in the film series, writing "it is hard to imagine the first film without Attenborough's cane-wielding performance." He added, "As the jolly mad scientist, Jurassic Park literally owes its entire creation to Hammond". [28]
Around the first film's 30th anniversary, several media outlets examined Hammond's role, generally deeming him a subtle villain. Simon Gallagher of ScreenRant argued that Hammond deserved to die for his "insatiable ambition that fundamentally disrespects nature". [17] Sean Pagnotti of Collider called him a "capitalist monster" and a "charming embodiment of toxic positive manifestation", writing that it is "not unusual to feel sorry for the poor, old billionaire" due to his charisma and Attenborough's performance. [29] Noting the Lockwood backstory provided in the Jurassic World films, Ray Clough of MovieWeb wrote, "Acting as the ultimate hypocrite, Hammond would state that creating a cloned human was unholy and morally corrupt, despite the fact that he was doing the same thing with a once-extinct species." [30] Ben Sherlock, also of ScreenRant, believed that the storyline throughout the films would have turned out differently had Hammond remained a full antagonist in the original film, suggesting for example that he might have encouraged human cloning in the interest of profit. [31]
Tara Bennett of Syfy Wire called Hammond the worst villain in the film series: "We know this ranking will be controversial, but don't let that grandfatherly look fool you." Bennett noted that dinosaurs roam the world again in Jurassic World Dominion because Hammond helped resurrect them in the first place. [32] Rory Piñata of MovieWeb likewise blamed Hammond for the events of the first film and subsequent events in the later films, and also felt that he deserved to die for his greed. [15] Lisa Nordin of Collider called Hammond a complex character, not easily identifiable as either a "hero" or "villain". [33]
Attenborough voiced Hammond in two video games: Chaos Island: The Lost World (1997), [34] and Trespasser (1998). The latter features Hammond's memoirs, narrated to the player throughout the game. [35] A 22-part fan-made prequel series, focusing on Hammond's life, was released online in 2021, using clips from the films and the memoirs from Trespasser. [36]
Hammond also appears in the games Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (2003) and Jurassic World Evolution (2018). He is voiced by Bud Tingwell in Operation Genesis, [37] and by Mackenzie Gray in Evolution. [38] The statue from the first Jurassic World film was also briefly available to players of Jurassic World Evolution 2 (2021). [39] Some of Attenborough's dialogue from the films was re-used in trailers for the Jurassic World films. [40] [41] The character and first film are spoofed in a 2015 episode of Sesame Street , with Cookie Monster taking on the role of Hammond. [42]
Although Jurassic Park toys had existed since 1993, Hammond did not receive an action figure until 2019, when Mattel released one in limited quantity for the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. [43] [44] The company subsequently released a Hammond figure as part of its Amber Collection. [45]
Hammond's death in the novel is referenced in the third season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous , when Yaz repeats a story she heard about the original park owner being eaten alive by Procompsognathus after breaking his ankle. Darius then says that Hammond died of natural causes. [46]
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It is the first installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the first film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, and is based on Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, off Central America's Pacific Coast near Costa Rica, where a wealthy businessman John Hammond (Attenborough), and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors, including Hammond's grandchildren, struggle to survive and escape the now perilous island.
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the final film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, following The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It is also the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, as well as the first not to be based on a novel by Michael Crichton; however, the film features characters and ideas by Crichton. Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter. The plot follows a divorced couple who deceive paleontologist Alan Grant into helping them find their son, who has gone missing on Isla Sorna.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 American science fiction action film. It is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the second film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy. A sequel to 1993's Jurassic Park and loosely based on Michael Crichton's 1995 novel The Lost World, the film was directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp. Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough reprise their roles from the original film with Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, and Arliss Howard joining the cast.
Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack Horner. Director Steven Spielberg helmed the 1993 film adaptation, and several actors were considered for the role of Grant. It ultimately went to Sam Neill, becoming one of his most popular roles. Spielberg gave the character a dislike of children, and put him in a relationship with Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who is Grant's student in the novel. Sattler, portrayed by Laura Dern, wants to start a family with Grant, who is resistant to the idea.
Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and the fourth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, following Jurassic Park III (2001). The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Irrfan Khan. Wong reprised his role from the original Jurassic Park film. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A successful theme park of cloned dinosaurs, dubbed Jurassic World, has operated on the island for years, bringing John Hammond's dream to fruition. The park plunges into chaos when a transgenic dinosaur escapes from its enclosure and goes on a rampage, while a conspiracy orchestrated by the park's staff creates more dangers.
Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton. A cautionary tale about genetic engineering, it presents the collapse of a zoological park showcasing genetically recreated dinosaurs to illustrate the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its real-world implications. A sequel titled The Lost World, also written by Crichton, was published in 1995. In 1997, both novels were republished as a single book titled Michael Crichton's Jurassic World.
Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to Crichton's novel Jurassic Park before it was published. The book was successful, as was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation. The film received a theatrical 3D re-release in 2013, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A 1995 sequel novel, The Lost World, was followed by a film adaptation in 1997. Subsequent films in the series from Jurassic Park III (2001) onward are not based on novels by Crichton.
The Lost World is a 1995 science fiction action novel written by Michael Crichton, and the sequel to his 1990 novel Jurassic Park. It is his tenth novel under his own name and his twentieth overall, and it was published by Knopf. A paperback edition (ISBN 0-345-40288-X) followed in 1996. In 1997, both novels were re-published as a single book titled Michael Crichton's Jurassic World, which is unrelated to the 2015 film of the same name.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World (2015), it is the second installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and the fifth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and Rafe Spall joining the cast. The story follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption, only to discover a mercenary team's ulterior motives to bring them to the US mainland.
Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit is a two-part animated television special that acts as a prequel to the 2015 film Jurassic World. Inspired by the Lego toyline, it was aired on NBC in the United States on November 29, 2018. It was later released on DVD in North America as a 43-minute film by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on January 15, 2019.
Dr. Ian Malcolm is a fictional character from the Jurassic Park franchise created by Michael Crichton and portrayed by Jeff Goldblum. Malcolm is a gifted mathematician who specializes in chaos theory. The character was inspired in part by American historian of science James Gleick and French mathematician Ivar Ekeland. In Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park and its 1993 film adaptation, Malcolm is invited by insurance lawyer Donald Gennaro to notice any problems with John Hammond's dinosaur theme park, Jurassic Park. Malcolm was intended by Crichton to fill in the role of the audience in the scenarios he is put through. Malcolm is a secondary protagonist in the original novel and the main protagonist in the sequel, The Lost World, due to positive fan reception from Goldblum's performance as the character in director Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the original novel.
Lego Jurassic World is a Lego theme based on the Jurassic World media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It is licensed from Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The theme was introduced in June 2015, with the release of toy sets and the video game Lego Jurassic World, both to promote the film Jurassic World. Subsequent sets were released in 2018, alongside the next film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Various animated projects have also been made, including the 2018 television special Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit, and the 2019 miniseries Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar.
Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar is a legacy board game, the first to be developed by Funko's design division, Prospero Hall. It is based on the first five films in the Jurassic Park franchise. After years in development, the game was announced in September 2021. It was launched as a Kickstarter project six months later, and quickly achieved its $100,000 fundraising goal. It was released in October 2022. Early reception was generally positive.
Dr. Henry Wu is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. He also appears briefly in the novel's 1993 film adaptation and plays a larger role in the Jurassic World film trilogy. Dr. Wu is the lead geneticist for the dinosaur theme parks Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, overseeing the de-extinction of dinosaurs through genetic engineering. He is killed by a Velociraptor in the book, but survives throughout the film series, in which he is portrayed by actor BD Wong. Although Wu is a supporting character in the novel, he has a drastically reduced role in the film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. Wong and Wu are both Asian-American, and the actor believed that the role was reduced, to his disappointment, because of "racial exclusion in Hollywood".
Claire Dearing is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire. She is one of the three main protagonists in the Jurassic World trilogy, along with her love interest Owen Grady, portrayed by Chris Pratt, and her adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In the first film, she is the operations manager of Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park located on Isla Nublar.
Owen Grady is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Chris Pratt as Owen. He is one of the three main protagonists in the trilogy, along with his love interest Claire Dearing, and his adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Owen is a U.S. Navy veteran and animal behavioral scientist researching Velociraptor at the dinosaur theme park Jurassic World, located on Isla Nublar. By the end of the first film, he and Claire begin a relationship.
Rexy is the colloquial nickname for a fictional female Tyrannosaurus that appears throughout the Jurassic Park franchise. She first appeared in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, and made her onscreen debut in the 1993 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. She returns in the 2015 film Jurassic World and its sequels, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Maisie Lockwood is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in the fifth film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), which is also the second installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. J. A. Bayona directed the film, casting Isabella Sermon as Maisie. She is one of the three main protagonists in the Jurassic World trilogy, along with her adoptive parents, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing. She used to live with her late grandfather Sir Benjamin Lockwood, an old business partner of Dr. John Hammond. She is the biogenetic daughter of geneticist Charlotte Lockwood.
Velociraptor was popularized by its appearance in the Jurassic Park franchise, which features numerous individuals. They first appear in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, followed by a 1993 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg, which spawned a series of films. Despite their name, Crichton heavily based the Velociraptors on the larger Deinonychus, and this was carried over into the films. The on-screen raptors were created using several production methods, including animatronics by Stan Winston and CGI by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).